Changing More Than Seasons
by TappinCastlefan
Summary: All things must change, each in their own turn.  But that simple fact didn't make those changes any less painful.  A scene for 3x03, in which comfort is given and recieved.


The two could feel the crunch and crackle of the freshly fallen leaves beneath their feet. It was early October. Just nearly the time for the trees to hibernate and blanket the ground with many more golden brown flecks. Tonight's leaves were just a sprinkling, a preview, of what was to come.

Ever so slowly, they walked through the cemetery. True, they were excited about finding a buried treasure that may, or may not, be there. More than excited, if they were really honest. But it seemed…wrong, to rush over the graves of the departed.

Rick could see the way that Kate's gaze diverted down to her feet. And Kate could see the way that Rick's mind was wandering.

They knew each other all to well.

"You want to, just…take a break for a minute? Or two?" Kate stopped short and turned at his question. Somehow her thumbnail had made its way to her mouth where she was chewing on it.

"What?" Her voice seemed small in her throat.

"I just, asked if you wanted to sit down for a minute. I mean, we have walked almost the whole cemetery, and, it's not like there's anyone to beat us to that treasure now."

Just an inkling of a laugh escaped her lips when she saw him motioning to a nearby bench.

"Yea, sure."

Both of them had relatively stiff legs from walking around in the chill. And Kate did not want to admit it, but her heels probably weren't wise for a trek at this time of night.

Rick let out a groan as he leaned back into the wood, whereas Kate simply stretched her legs out in front of her, perching one ankle overtop the other.

"So, you still haven't told me how you figured out the map."

"Oh! That. Uh…Alexis said something that got me thinking. She mentioned all the fold lines on it, and how it looked like a paper fortuneteller, which got me thinking about Mad Magazine. You know, how you could fold the pictures to get something completely different?"

To try and prove his point, Rick circled his hands around and over each other as he spoke. His own modified version of sign language.

"Wow," she looked up at the stars with a child-like amusement, "I haven't thought about that in years. I used to love those things." Only a second later she was eyeing him with curiosity. "Why was Alexis at the precinct?"

"Hmm?"

"Well you haven't been home, so she must've gone there. Why?"

"She…she wanted to tell me that she can get the money for the scooter. She wants to sell these light sabers I had bought for her. Once upon a time she had wanted them just as badly as she wants the scooter. But she said that she found a guy who'll pay her for them."

With a long breath, he flopped his arms down on the tops of his thighs. The slap echoed through the silence around them. He wasn't talking to her anymore, choosing instead to watch the specks of dust floating around in the breeze.

It didn't take her detective skills to notice that he wasn't entirely thrilled with Alexis' method of turning a profit. This was a completely different Richard Castle, and her chest hurt, seeing him so distraught. Teenage girls could be very hard on their fathers. She knew that, for sure.

He must have been reading her mind, because right then he spoke up.

"Hey, you didn't answer my question earlier."

Kate had turned to drape her arm over the edge, legs pulled in close to her chest.

"What question?"

He winced a little before facing her again. "How wild was your 'wild-child' phase? And please, spare no detail, because I want to be prepared for this."

As was habit, Kate bit her lower lip as she studied him. This was a genuine moment of concern for the writer, and she could see it. The nerves were just leaking from his pores.

"Well, let me think, it was a while ago."

"Please, it was not that long ago Beckett."

"Why Mr. Castle I think you just complimented me."

"I complement you a lot. Maybe you should just listen to me more."

"Maybe if I had more quiet time I would appreciate it when you speak."

"Hardy har. Very funny." He smirked at her, rolling her eyes. "It just feels like she's going to turn into someone else. Into some girl that I've never met before."

"You really want to know Castle?"

Rick let out a heavy sigh, and pushed the shovel he had been carrying over, so that it was now leaning on the cold ground. "Want to? No, absolutely not." He swung his head around. "But I kind of think I should know anyway."

"Alright then." Kate sighed through a smile, shaking her head ever so slightly.

"When I was sixteen Maddy talked me into going with her to get her ears pierced. I've had mine done since middle school, and she had always been jealous."

"Seriously? Getting your ears pierced? That's it?"

"Would you let me finish? You're a writer, you should know that there's more to the story."

"Sorry, fine." He moved to zip his lips shut, and gestured for her to continue.

"I went with her so that she could get her ears pierced, but she was about to chicken out as the technician was cleaning the needle gun. So, I figured…being her best friend it was my job to make her go through with it." She paused to stifle a smile. "I went right up to the guy and asked him to do my nose."

"You had your nose pierced?"

"Yup. Got myself grounded for a month, too. Kept it though." She reached up and tapped a spot on the left side of her nose. Rick wasn't sure she realizes she was doing it. "I had this little stud in it, right up until I joined the force."

Ever so faintly Castle whispered, "Sexy."

"Then when we were seventeen we got these really skimpy outfits - the price had to be by the square inch, because we paid next to nothing for them. We knew these guys," she nodded her head in his direction, "college guys. And we talked them into taking us to a frat party. It was absolutely hectic. I had had alcohol before, and I can hold my liquor, but this was intense. I ended up so sloshed by the end of the night…actually, I think it was early morning." Her face squinted up, trying to pull the answer out of the air. "Anyway, a couple of the guys in this frat offered to let us spend the night, at least, until we felt well enough to get back home. We didn't…do anything, if that's what you're thinking. I wasn't that wild. And they were actually pretty cool about it. Bunked on the couch so we could have real beds to sleep in. I guess it was around noon-ish when we finally cleaned ourselves up and called a cab. Luckily my parents were out of town that weekend – a friend's wedding or something – so we were able to fully recover at my place."

She sighed and turned to look at him again. "But my mom, man, she knew. There was no evidence of what we had done, but somehow, she just knew. Every chance she got for the next two weeks she just gave me this look." Kate had picked up her hand and was clawing it in the air in front of her face. "It was like she was boring a hole into my skull."

"That look must be genetic."

"Huh?" She twisted her face at such a comment.

"That look you're talking about. Boring a hole? I've seen it."

A sly look was shot in his direction, and a lull fell over them.

"That enough 'wild' for you Castle?"

"Why, do you have _more_ stories?"

"What else do you want to know?"

"How 'bout just one more? I want to be prepared, but not…overly, prepared."

"Alright. Freshman year of college, right?"

"I'm following." He could see that she was enjoying the reminiscence. And after the day she had, it was a good sight to see.

"I had a crush on this one guy. Gosh, I can't even tell you his name! I…don't remember." She laughed at her own failed memory. "How's that for irony? I went and got a tattoo for a guy whose name I can't remember."

"Yeah, that's – wait. You got a tattoo?"

"The guy had a thing for them. At the time I figured, 'hey, why not?' Got a shooting star. On my ankle." She hiked up her right pants leg to reveal an arrangement of blue and yellow stars, outlined in black, just above her ankle. "It's nothing big, but my dad still flipped. He told me I was lucky I was in college, or I would've been grounded for a year."

"Was that before, or after…"

"A few months after. Before my dad went under. I can't help but think that I contributed, at least a little, to it."

"Kate, you can't possibly believe that you being a kid had anything to do with his drinking."

A thick puff of air left her lungs. "I know. The second I found out about his…problem, I straightened out. I hadn't let my grades slip or done any permanent damage, but it was enough of a shock to tether me tighter to the ground."

"Castle," she started quietly, "just because Alexis is venturing out a bit, doesn't mean she's going to do anything that would seriously harm her. Sure, she might get a few bumps and bruises along the way, but that's how she'll learn where her limits are. And, yea, she's gonna need you to say 'no' every once in a while."

Somewhere in the middle of her little speech he had bent over, putting his elbows on his knees. Kate bent down, putting her own chin in her hands, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "You do remember you're the adult, right?"

"Yea, I know. I just hate feeling like the bad guy."

"Castle, my dad played the bad guy a lot, as I'm sure you can now imagine. It didn't make me love him any less."

"Thanks. I really needed that." He slowly lifted himself back up, turning to find her still leaning on her knees. Tentatively, he placed his hand on his shoulder, which caused her to look up at him. To his great dismay there was sheen to her eyes.

"You do know that if you ever, and I mean ever, want to talk, or just need someone to listen, that I'm here, right?"

The corners of her mouth lifted. It was almost a smile.

"I know, Castle. And thank you. I'm just, not quite ready to talk about it yet."

"That's fine. Just…don't forget that we're here. You've got a room full of people back there that all care about you. You're not alone."

For a moment Kate couldn't move. He was right. Completely, thoroughly, undeniably right. She wasn't alone. She hadn't been alone for a long time now.

Even with Royce she wasn't alone. And now she owed him for keeping her head above water all those years ago. She felt numb all over. It was all too difficult to be let down by your hero.

But this wasn't the time for that. She wasn't ready to be hurt, or angry, or depressed. Or whatever it was that she would feel when the numbness eventually went away.

It was with a lack of control over limbs that she sprung to her feet, nearly loosing her balance. In one swift motion she had picked up the shovel from its isolation in the grass, and extended it out to her partner in treasure hunting.

"Well Mr. Castle? Are we going to sit around here all night, or are we going to go find some buried jewels?"

Rick perked right up at the talk of treasure, and jumped up to join her. He took the tool from her grasp, and reached out his arm. "Why Detective Beckett, I thought you'd never ask."

With a thin smile Kate accepted the invitation, linking her arm with his. The darkness of the night could hide their smiles, but not their stumbling, as they meandered through the crisp October air, laughing quietly with each other. Together, they continued their expedition over the fallen leaves, eager to discover the possibilities in store for them.

* * *

_So did anyone else love this episode as much as I did? I hope so. Here I bid all you wonderful readers goodnight. It's quite early in the morning for me right now, but I had to get this posted. I hope you like it, because I really do. I hate to ask, but please leave me a short review! I love hearing what you have to say!_

_It is with great regret that I must say I do not own Castle._

_Love, Tappin._


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